‘Little Amal’ to visit Liverpool during World Refugee Week

Little Amal is set to journey through England, visiting Liverpool along the way, during World Refugee Week (19 – 27 June 2022) to meet new friends and share a message of hope.

Following her now celebrated 8,000km journey from the border of Syria and Turkey, Little Amal, a 3.5 metre puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian girl refugee, has become an international symbol of human rights. She has come to represent the millions of refugee children including those who have been separated from their families. One year on from leaving Syria and 5 weeks after her visit to the city of Lviv in Ukraine, she will take part in World Refugee Week by visiting 10 towns and cities across England meeting old friends and making new ones. As always, Amal will be sharing her message of resilience and hope with anyone who has been forced to leave their homes. Starting in Manchester as part of the city’s now iconic Manchester Day parade, Little Amal’s journey includes spending morning at the ancient stones of Stonehenge, walking through the famous docks of Liverpool, exploring the joys that books can bring in Bradford and Leeds, exploring the Old City and Harbour of Bristol, celebrating with the many festivals of Cheltenham, and dancing in Canterbury and in London. Her journey will end in Folkestone, Kent where she arrived in the UK, standing on the shore remembering the life she left behind in Syria and her very first day in her new home. Mark Da Vanzo, CEO at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres said: “Liverpool has always opened its arms to embrace migrants and refugees. As we look forward to sharing our city with Amal to explore, we know the footsteps she takes will be familiar to many of the Syrian, El Salvadorian and Afghani refugee families we have worked with over the years. Arts and culture are powerful ways to create connection and understanding, so our hope is that Amal’s visit will build on the work we’ve been doing and that of our cultural partners, including Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Unity and SOLA Arts, serving as a reminder to us all to continue to welcome those who seek sanctuary. ” Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk, said: “As the invasion of Ukraine began the whole world, governments and citizens, proved that when we’re willing to respond to the urgent needs of refugees we can accomplish astonishing feats of compassion and generosity. New Steps, New Friends, Amal’s Walk through England in June will remind us that, if we choose, we can welcome and care for all refugees, regardless of their skin colour, their religion or their background.”

Little Amal in Liverpool, Tuesday 21 June: Itinerary 

Becoming a guest of honour for two hours, the visit will see Amal welcomed to Royal Albert Dock with support from Liverpool FC Foundation’s Inclusion team, inviting her to put her football skills to the test outside of the Martin Luther King Jr Building. Liverpool FC Foundation’s Inclusion team deliver a Refugee Football programme weekly, providing four sessions to over 150 refugees across the city.ittle Amal will visit Liverpool on Tuesday 21 June. Following this, Amal will make her way down Hartley Quay, towards Tate Liverpool where she will meet 60 children from Smithdown Primary School who will be taking part in art activities. The children are part of the gallery’s Tackling the Blues project, partnered with Edge Hill University and Everton in the Community, which uses arts-based education to support young people aged 6-16 who are experiencing, or are at risk of developing, mental illness. Little Amal will also visit Ugo Rondinone’s florescent sculpture, Liverpool Mountain, which stands tall at 10 meters in Mermaid Courtyard, making the perfect photo opportunity for Amal to remember her time at Royal Albert Dock. Following this, National Museums Liverpool will encourage Amal to become part of the Museum of Liverpool’s community archaeology team at Piermaster’s Green, investigating the lives of people who lived and worked on the docks, before offering the opportunity to reflect on Liverpool’s long maritime history, as well as its links to the transatlantic slave trade. As a final farewell from her time at the waterfront, Asylum Link, a local choir supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the city, will perform for Amal on the Museum of Liverpool’s steps as the perfect parting gift before she continues her journey with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre. Little Amal will finish her visit to Liverpool with a trip to a local primary school where she will join the children playing games and getting creative with art activities. The children include those from families the Everyman and Playhouse have worked in partnership with SOLA Arts to support, as well as those with a refugee background.